Pouring device



Sept. 24, 1963 J. SANCHIS 3,104,786

POURING DEVICE Filed March 27, 1961 INVENTOR. Jo 55 5A NCH/S ak 1 gain- A TTORA/EYS Edhlfidti Patented Sept. 2%, i953 lose Sanehis, M87 Grove St, lrvington, NJJ. Filed Mar. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 9 3,352 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-431 This invention relates to pouring devices and refers more particularly to a pouring device which can be rotatably adjusted to any one of an indefinite number of radial positions in the neck of a bottle.

It is a customary practice in night clubs, cafes, etc. to cap bottles of spiritous beverages with a pouring device which serves not only as a decorative device, but enables the bartender to pour measured quantities of beverage with relative ease. The same practice is [followed in laboratories and many other establishments. These bottle pouring devices as known in the prior art are generally made with a pouring spout, a base member supporting the spout and covering the open top of the bottle, and a cylindrical neck portion integral with the base member and covered on the outside with cork and designed to fit inside the neck of a bottle. it is also well known that many persons will order a drink by specifying a particular brand. Usually the person served will note the label on the bottle to be sure that the specified brand is used. All too often, the pouring device is fitted on the bottle so that the portion of the pouring spout, relatively to the label, is such that when the bartender, or other user, grasps the bottle, his hand covers the label or the label faces the user so that it is diflicult, if not impossible, for the person to identify the label or brand of liquor.

In prior art the neck portion of the pouring device is covered with cork to insure a tight fit of the device in the neck of the bottle. The fit is usually so tight that it is virtually impossible to turn the pouring device in the neck of a bottle to position the spout so that the bottle label can be read during pouring. T o insure the latter normally requires that the pouring device he removed and reinserted in the bottle with the spout extending at one side of the label, an expedient that few users practice. Sometimes, it is impossible to attain a tight fit in this position. However, even the foregoing has the obvious limitation that a pouring spout properly positioned relatively to the label is satisfactory only if the bartender or other user always uses the same hand to grasp the bottle. If per chance the other hand is used by him or another bartender, the label will face the bantender and be hidden from the person ordering the drink.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present inve tion to provide a pouring device for bottles which can be rotatably adjusted to any radial position in the neck of a bottle without recourse to removing and reinserting the pouring device in the bottle.

Another object is to provide a pouring device :for bottles which can be rotatably adjusted to any radial position in the neck of a bottle with a minimum of effort and which at the same time maintains a complete seal of the top of the bottle except for the conduit through the pouring spout.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a pouring device for bottles which is simple and economical to make, easy to install and remove on the bottle and reusable indefinitely;

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in the course of the following specification.

The aforementioned objectives of the present invention are achieved by the provision of a pouring device made in various embodiments. In the first embodiment, the pouring device has a cap portion designed to fit over 2 the open top of a bottle. A pouring spout made integra l with the cap portion extends upwardly at an acute angle from the cap and contains a conduit through which liquid flows when the bottle is inverted. A cylindrical neck portion also made integral with the cap portion but of lesser diameter, extends downwardly from the cap portion and is adapted to fit inside the neck of a bottle. it also contains a centrally located conduit which cornrnunicates with the conduit contained in the pouring spout. A second conduit formed in the neck portion and extending from the bottom to the top thereof, communicates with a cap conduit, the latter extending to an opening in the side of the cap and providing a vent line through which air flows into the bottle as liquid is poured out. or cork encloses the neck portion, the sleeve being left open at the bottom. A series of concentric rings made integral with the sleeve projects outwardly from the surface of the sleeve at spaced intervals. The diameter of the rings is greater than the inside diameter of the neck of the bottle on which the pouring device is used. Thus when the pourer is inserted in the neck of a bottle, the rings being resilient, will curl up at their edges and firm- 1y contact the neck wall forming a tight seal which prevents liquid from flowing out of the bottle except through the pouring spout. Although the frictional contact of the rings against the neck wall holds the pouring device tightly in the bottle, thereby preventing vertical movement of the device, the degree of contact does not prevent rotating lt-he pouring device with ease. Thus the pouring device (and the pouring spout) can be rotatably adjusted to any one of an infinite number of radial positions in the bottle, particularly positions so related to the position of the label on the bottle that the bottle can be held during pouring with the label clearly exposed.

The second embodiment of the pouring device is like the first except that the sleeve does not have ribs. instead, an internally threaded fitting encloses the sleeve and is rotatable thereon. The fitting makes the pouring device adaptable for use on bottles having an externally threaded neck. When the pouring device is inserted on a bottle the pouring spout, cap, neck and sleeve are rotatable within the fitting to any radial position in the neck of the bottle.

In accordance with the present invention the sleeve enclosing the neck may be made of cork instead of a plastic material or iubber.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing showing by way of example, the preferred embodiments of the inventive concept.

In the drawings:

FIGURE '1 is a perspective view of a pouring device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the pouring evice taken along line 22 of FIGURE 1, the device being shown inserted in the neck of a bottle.

FIGURE 3 is the same view as FIGURE 2, but shows the pouring device inserted in the neck of a bottle of larger diameter, the sleeve consisting of cork.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a different embodiment of the pouring device; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the pouring device taken along line 5-5 of FIGURE 4, the device being shown insented in the neck of a bottle.

Referring now in greater detail to the first embodiment of the pouring device shown in FIGURES l and 2, where like reference numerals indicate like parts, reference numeral 10 indicates the pourim device, 11 a bottle, and 12 the neck portion of the bottle.

A cylindrical sleeve made of rubber.

The pouring device it? has a cap portion 13 which is circular in shape and designed to fit over the open top 14 of the neck portion 12 of bottle 11. A pouring spout 15 made integral with cap portion 13 extends upwardly at an acute angle from the cap 13 and contains a conduit 16 through which liquid 17 flows when the bottle is inverted. A spout cover 18 is hingedly connected to the end of the pouring spout 15 and serves to keep dust, etc. from entering the bottle when it is not being used. A cylindrical neck portion 19 also made integral with cap 13 but of lesser diameter, extends downwardly from the cap 13 and fits inside the neck 12 of bottle 11. A central conduit 2% located in neck portion 19 communicates with conduit 16 of pouring spent 15. A bottom extension 21 of neck portion 13 also contains a conduit 22 which extends to the top of the neck portion 519 and communicates with a cap conduit 23, the latter extending to an opening 24 in the side of the cap 13 and providing a vent line through which air flows into the bottle as liquid is poured out.

A cylindrical resilient sleeve 25 made of rubber encloses neck portion 19, the sleeve 25 being left open at the bottom. A series of concentric rings 26 made integral with sleeve 25 project outwardly from the surface of the sleeve at spaced intervals. The rings 26 are resilient so that when the pouring device 14 is inserted in the neck 12 of a bottle 11, they curl up along their edges and engage the neck wall of the bottle as shown in FIGURE 2. The fact that the rings 26 are resilient gives the pouring device 1% the additional utility of being adaptable for use in bottles of diiferent neck diameters. if the neck diameter of the bottle is smaller than that shown in FIGURE 2, the rings 26 will curl up closer to the sleeve 25 or if the neck diameter of the bottle 11 is larger, the rings 26 will extend almost perpendicular to the axis of sleeve 25 just contacting the neck wall. The frictional bond between the edges of the rings 26- and the neck wall of the bottle 11 holds the pouring device firmly on the bottle. While this bond is sufficiently strong to prevent vertical movement of the pouring device It} within the neck 12 of the bottle when it is invented for pouring, the frictional bond does not prevent rotating the pouring device about its own vertical axis if it is desired to change the radial position of pouring spout with respect to the label 27 on the bottle 11.

In operation:

The seal or other stopper placed on a bottle 11 when it is bottled is removed from the bottle. The pouring device 10 of the present invention is then inserted in the neck 12 of the bottle by forcing the neck portion 19 and cylindrical sleeve down into the neck until the cap portion 13 covers the open top of the bottle 11 as shown in FIGURE 2. In this position, the rings 26 on cylindrical sleeve 25 engage the neck wail, holding the pouring device 1% securely in place on the bottle 11. They also act as a seal to keep liquid from emptying from the bottle 11 when it is inverted, except for the desirable flow through the conduits 16 and 29. The bartender or person using the bottle can then easily adjust the position of the pouring spout 15 on the bottle so that the label 27 faces outwardly from him during pouring by rotating the pouring device to the position shown in solid lines in FIGURE 2. If at a subsequent pouring a bartender should use the opposite hand to hold the bottle so that the label would now face inwardly towards him, he can, prior to pouring, change the position of the pouring spout 15 to that shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2 by simply rotating the pouring device to the extent of 180 degrees. Because the pouring device 10 is so simply and easily rotatable in the bottle 11, the bartender or other user will find it very convenient to set the pouring spout 15 to extend to one side or the other of the bottle label 27 so that the label 27 will face the person being served when a drink is poured.

d FIGURE 3 shows a pouring device it) which is similar to that shown in FlGURES 1 and 2, with the exception that the sleeve 25 and the rings 26' are made of cork. Furthermore, FIGURE 3 shows the use of a pouring device on a bottle having a larger neck diameter, so that the rings 26' extend substantially perpendicularly to the axis of the sleeve 25 while contacting the inner neck walls of the bottle.

The pouring device 4i) shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 is used on bottles having an externally threaded neck.

The pouring device 40 is the same as the pouring device 10 with respect to the cap portion 13, pouring spout 15, cylindrical neck portion 1 pouring conduit 16, 2t and vent conduit 22, 24. However, the cylindrical resilient sleeve 4-1 which encloses the cylindrical neck portion 19 does not have any rings but instead it has a singleannular lip 42 projecting outwardly from the sleeve 41 at the top. At non-corrosive, ring-like fitting 43' encloses the sleeve 41 as shown in FIGURE 5. The fitting 43 has an inwardly directed lip 44 formed at the top which fits over the lip 42 of sleeve 41 and acts to hold the fitting 43 securely on the pouring device 40'. A second inwardly directed lip- 45 located at approximately midheight of the fitting 43 bears against the rubber sleeve 4-1 to maintain it in firm contact with the neck portion 19 of the pouring device 40. The fitting 43 has an internally threaded portion 46 at its bottom, the threads =be-' ing used to engage the external threads 47 contained on the neck 12 of a bottle 11. The circumferential periphery of the fitting 43 along an intermediate length is knurled at 48 to facilitate grasping the fitting 43 when threading it on the neck of a bottle.

In operation, the pouring device 40 is inserted on the neck 12 of a bottle 11 by threading the fitting 43 over the threads 4-7 on the bottle. As the fitting 43 threads down, it pulls the cylindrical sleeve 41 and cylindrical neck 19 of the pouring device 40 down into the neck of the bottle, the outer surface of the sleeve 41 engaging the neck wall the bottle. threaded onto the bottle 11, the pouring device isin position for use. If it is desired to rotate the pouring spout to a desired position with respect to label 27 such as shown in FIGURES, it can easily be done by rotating the whole pouring device 40 about its own vertical axis. Since the fitting 43 is threaded to the bottle,

it will not move. But the pouring spout 15, cap 13, neck portion 19 and sleeve 41 are fully and easily rotatable within the fitting 43 and the neck of the bottle and hence can be adjusted to any desired radial position.

While there is above disclosed but some embodiments of the pouring device, it is possible to produce still other embodiments without departing from the inventive concept herein disclosed. What is claimed is: 1. A pouring device for use with a bottle having a threaded neck, said pouring device comprising a cap por-v said neck portion communicating with the other end of said cap opening, air vent means extending through said cap portion and neck portion, a cylindrical sleeve enclosing said neck portion, said sleeve having an outwardly projecting li-p at the top and a lower portion exlending to the inner surfaces of the neck of said bottle, and a cylindrical fitting enclosing said sleeve and supported on the projecting lip thereof, said fitting having an internally threaded bottom section adapted to engage the threads on said bottle and an inwardly directed lip located intermediate its height and engaging said sleeve,

When the fitting 43 is fully 7 said sleeve being rotatable within said fitting about a vertical axis extending through the center of said bottle.

2. A pouring device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cylindrical sleeve is made of rubber.

3. A pouring device for a bottle having a threaded neck, said pouring device comprising a fitting having inner screw threads adapted to engage the threads of said threaded neck, and a member extending through said fitting and rotatable relatively thereto, said member comprising a pouring spout and a neck portion integral therewith and having a passage extending therethrough for dispensing liquid :from the bottle, said pouring spout extending above said neck and said neck portion extending within said neck when said inner screw threads are in engagement with the threads of said threaded neck, said member having an air vent passage extending through said neck portion and opening into the atmosphere above said threaded neck, said fitting having an inwardly extending annular flange, and a sleeve having a cylindrical portion enclosing said neck portion and an outwardly extending flange, said flanges being spaced one from the other and defining a space preventing the flow of liquid between said fitting and said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A POURING DEVICE FOR USE WITH A BOTTLE HAVING A THREADED NECK, SAID POURING DEVICE COMPRISING A CAP PORTION HAVING A CENTRAL OPENING AND ADAPTED TO COVER THE TOP OF SAID BOTTLE, A POURING SPOUT RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO THE TOP OF SAID CAP AND CONTAINING A CONDUIT EXTENDING ITS FULL LENGTH AND COMMUNICATING WITH ONE END OF SAID CAP OPENING, A HOLLOW NECK PORTION RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM OF AND EXTENDING BELOW SAID CAP AND ADAPTED TO FIT INSIDE THE NECK OF SAID BOTTLE, THE HOLLOW INTERIOR OF SAID NECK PORTION COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER END OF SAID CAP OPENING, AIR VENT MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CAP PORTION AND NECK PORTION, A CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE ENCLOSING SAID NECK PORTION, SAID SLEEVE HAVING AN OUTWARDLY PROJECTING LIP AT THE TOP AND A LOWER PORTION EXLENDING TO THE INNER SURFACES OF THE NECK OF SAID BOTTLE, AND A CYLINDRICAL FITTING ENCLOSING SAID SLEEVE AND SUPPORTED ON THE PROJECTING LIP THEREOF, SAID FITTING HAVING AN INTERNALLY THREADED BOTTOM SECTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE THE THREADS ON SAID BOTTLE AND AN INWARDLY DIRECTED LIP LOCATED INTERMEDIATE ITS HEIGHT AND ENGAGING SAID SLEEVE, SAID SLEEVE BEING ROTATABLE WITHIN SAID FITTING ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS EXTENDING THROUGH THE CENTER OF SAID BOTTLE. 